Barnsley and Mansfield Town square off on Friday evening as they get their respective League One campaigns underway at Oakwell.
While the Tykes will be motivated to bounce back from the disappointment of missing out on promotion last season, Mansfield will have survival on their mind after finishing third in League Two.
Match preview
© Imago
Although the Tykes hierarchy took the unusual decision to replace previous boss Neill Collins at the back end of April, it did not pay off as they missed out in the playoff semi-finals.
Barnsley officials have since moved to appoint Darrell Clarke as their new head coach, despite his indifferent stint with Cheltenham Town at the same level.
However, Clarke is no stranger to securing promotion with several different teams throughout his long managerial career, Barnsley hoping that yet another will follow in 2024-25.
The most notable additions have been that of Birmingham City defender Marc Roberts and Derby County midfielder Conor Hourihane, both players making their return to the club.
Roma represented Barnsley's final friendly of the summer as recently as Tuesday evening, the Italian giants running out 4-0 victors in a match at St George's Park.
As for Mansfield, they are finally back in the third tier of English football after spending over two decades away from this level.
Despite ultimately missing out on the League Two title, Nigel Clough and the powers-that-be at Field Mill were delighted to claim the final automatic promotion spot.
Mansfield are one of the favourites to go down, yet the signings of Australia international Keanu Baccus and veteran forward Lee Gregory have the potential to be the difference between survival and relegation.
Clough's men enjoyed a terrific pre-season, albeit largely against lower-profile opposition, with the standout triumph being by a 1-0 scoreline over Oxford United.
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Team News
Clarke is expected to start with a similar Barnsley XI that he selected for the 4-3 victory over Derby at the end of last month.
That would see goalkeeper Jackson Smith join Roberts and Hourihane as the new signings to start, while Tottenham Hotspur loanee Matthew Craig will hope to feature at some stage.
Mansfield finished pre-season with a win at Matlock Town on Tuesday, but their starting lineup should resemble the side that was named against Grimsby Town three days earlier.
Deji Oshilaja is in line to start in the middle of defence after his free transfer from Burton Albion, alongside former Swindon Town man Frazer Blake-Tracy.
However, Gregory may have to make to with a spot among the replacements.
Barnsley possible starting lineup:
Smith; De Gevigney, Roberts, Earl; O'Keeffe, Connell, Hourihane, Phillips, Styles; Watters, Cosgrove
Mansfield Town possible starting lineup:
Pym; Bowery, Flint, Oshilaja, Blake-Tracey, Baccus, Reed, S.Quinn, Boateng, Nichols, Akins
We say: Barnsley 2-1 Mansfield Town
Like the other teams that have earned promotion from League Two, Mansfield have the potential to make an impact in the third tier. However, we can only back the home side to come through this contest with three points, albeit in a competitive match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Darren Plant
